Rosie's Heart
by flooj9235
Summary: During one of Veronica's scavenging trips, Cass' heart condition acts up and brings the cowgirl to her knees. Ambiguously relationshippy, and you don't even have to squint.


"Would it kill you to slow the hell down, Ronnie?" Cass yelled. "It's hotter than brahmin balls and you're runnin' around like a cazador on Jet."

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," the scribe reminded her companion, dropping to her knees beside the remains of a protectron.

"What, and leave you all by yourself? Keep dreamin', Veronica." Cass moaned about the heat a bit more as she neared, fanning herself with her hat. "I just don't see why you can't get this shit at Mick and Ralph's."

Veronica grinned as she pried an old sensor module from the demolished robot. "It's more fun this way! Besides, I've been looking for one of these for weeks, and Ralph didn't have any." She didn't look up when the cowgirl walked up behind her, focusing on removing the module without breaking it. "Just… c'mon… Ha! Got it!" She pulled a bit of spare cloth from her bag and wound it around the sensor module carefully, then tucked the whole thing in her pocket. "Okay, sorry, I'm ready."

The scribe jumped up and offered her companion a smile, then started back in the direction of New Vegas. She paused when she realized she didn't hear Cass grousing behind her and turned to see the redhead standing a few yards away with a strange look on her face. "Cass?"

"Just… a minute," Cass said, closing her eyes. "Shit."

The back of Veronica's neck prickled uncertainly and she walked back toward Cass. "What's wrong?"

Cass shook her head slightly and pressed her fingers against her wrist to check her pulse. She scowled, pushing her hat back and mopping her brow. "Need'ta sit down," she mumbled, taking a shaky step toward the nearest boulder.

Veronica lunged forward when Cass crumpled, catching the redhead and easing her down onto the ground. The brunette's pulse was pounding in her ears and she felt like she might be sick. "Cass?"

The cowgirl was bordering on unconsciousness, rubbing at her chest and wheezing slightly.

A cold panic settled on Veronica's shoulders as she vaguely remembered something about Cass inheriting a heart condition. She took the redhead's wrist and felt for Cass' pulse, swearing under her breath when she realized how fluttery and weak the pulse was.

"C'mon, Cass, you're okay." Veronica desperately wished she'd listened more to Scribe Schuler's medical lectures when she was younger, or that Arcade had opted to join the pair on their outing. She had no idea what to do, and she was terrified that Cass was going to die right in front of her.

Cass seemed to have melted against the sand, her head lolling to the side. She was still, and Veronica held her breath, listening for any sound from the redhead. Her hands were shaking too much to check for Cass' pulse, so Veronica leaned over and rested her head against the cowgirl's chest.

The heartbeat that thudded beneath her ear, though still too rapid to be normal, was the most beautiful thing Veronica had ever heard. She gripped the leather flap of Cass' jacket and exhaled in a rush. "Thank you," she breathed, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the sting of tears in her eyes.

"Usually I hafta be drunk to wind up with a pretty woman on top of me," Cass joked weakly, reaching up to muss the scribe's hair.

Veronica scoffed and sat up, batting the redhead's hand away and drying her tears on her sleeve. "Are you okay?"

"Gettin' there," Cass answered, reaching for her hat and dropping it over her eyes to shade them from the sun glaring overhead. "Don't wanna get up yet, though."

Veronica nodded even though Cass couldn't see it, then settled back into the dirt and gazed at the cowgirl. Watching the gentle rise and fall of Cass' chest was soothing, and Veronica was tempted to catch her wrist and feel the redhead's pulse throbbing under her fingertips.

"I'm sorry," Veronica murmured after a few moments, dropping her gaze to the sand between her boots. "I shouldn't have… I'm sorry."

Cass reached up and pushed the brim of her hat up to give Veronica a sideways look. "What for?"

The scribe gestured at the sprawled out redhead wordlessly, guilt evident in her eyes.

"Shit, Ronnie, this ain't your fault." Cass let out a raspy chuckle and shrugged. "Happens every few months or so. Just bad timing." She gave the brunette another ornery glance, then saw the expression on Veronica's face and swallowed whatever barb she had planned. "Honest, it's okay. Just my heart condition actin' up."

Veronica wanted to protest, but she'd rarely heard the redhead sound so sincere, so she swallowed and nodded.

Cass offered the scribe a crooked grin and dropped her hat back over her face. She laid there for a few minutes, then reached up and checked her pulse again. The redhead stuck her arm toward Veronica blindly. "Here, all better, see?"

Veronica hesitated, then felt for Cass' pulse. The rhythm was indeed normal, and much stronger than it had been. The scribe's shoulders sagged with relief and she managed a smile. "Good."

"Help me up." Cass pushed herself up on her elbow, letting Veronica take her hand. After a few moments of sitting up, Cass made her way onto her feet. She swayed slightly, but Veronica immediately reached out to steady her.

As soon as Cass recovered her balance, she plopped her hat back on her head and slung her shotgun over her shoulders. "All set. You ready to move out, Ronnie?"

The scribe bit her lip. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The redhead grinned and hooked her arm around Veronica's neck. "Sure I'm sure. Goes against the Cassidy family name not to be." She winked and pointed toward New Vegas glittering in the distance. "I don't know about you, but I feel a nice whiskey callin' my name."

Veronica studied her companion for a moment, then sighed and shook her head with a grin. "Yeah, you're fine."

The pair continued on their path to New Vegas, though Veronica lingered close to Cass, just in case. She thought she was being discreet about it, but apparently the cowgirl noticed.

"Jesus, Veronica. How'm I supposed to walk with you breathin' down my neck?" There was a cheeky tone to the redhead's voice, but it was hard to tell exactly how serious she was being.

Veronica shot Cass a dry look. "Excuse me for being worried."

The redhead scoffed and tugged at the brim of her hat. "Toldja already, I'm fine."

"Didn't stop me from being scared," Veronica countered softly. The words felt almost too serious between them, so she offered her companion a weak smile and did her best to look like she was teasing. "Don't die on me, Rosie."

Cass was quiet for a few seconds, and when Veronica looked over at her, she saw that the cowgirl's cheeks were pink. "Don't plan to," Cass said finally, looking away and out across the wasteland.

The metal spires of Freeside's gate were looming overhead when Cass spoke again. "If you ever call me 'Rosie' in front of anyone, I'll… do something," she finished lamely, looking almost shy.

Veronica smiled at the innocuous threat. "What, like slap me? I seem to remember Arcade's glasses being crooked ever since he let that slip." She thought about it for a second, then cradled her power fist close to her chest. "Don't you touch my baby."

Cass laughed heartily, kicking at a rock on the old concrete. She went quiet after a moment, testing the weight of her shotgun in her hands idly. "Naw, it's… different when you say it. Just don't want anyone else gettin' any ideas."

"Aww, Cass, I didn't know we were at the secret nicknames stage." Veronica teased, nudging Cass with her elbow.

"Fuck you," Cass retorted, though a traitorous grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. She tugged the old Freeside gate open and followed Veronica into the slum. The pair stayed quiet, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, and made it to the Strip's gate unharmed.

Veronica showed her passport to the securitrons, hooking her arm through the redhead's. "She's with me," the scribe said over Cass' quiet yelp of surprise.

The securitrons whirred for a moment, then rolled aside and let the women through the gate.

Cass gave arm a halfhearted tug as soon as they were on the Strip, but she didn't seem too distressed when Veronica didn't let go.

"Allow me to escort the fair lady back to the Lucky 38," Veronica said theatrically, making a sweeping gesture toward the towering casino.

The redhead rolled her eyes and pulled her hat down to cover her embarrassment. Veronica just laughed, leading her companion into the casino they called home. They greeted the courier and Arcade, who were in the middle of a chess game, then Cass headed for her bedroom.

She grabbed a bottle of her moonshine and kicked off her boots, collapsing on her bed. Cass uncorked the jug with her teeth, taking a long swig and coughing as it burned down her throat.

Veronica chuckled and hung the cowgirl's hat on the bedpost. "Better?"

Cass hummed happily, taking another drink before offering Veronica the bottle.

"I value my liver too much," Veronica replied, waving the jug away. She pulled off her own boots and stretched, then excused herself to take a bath.

When Veronica returned, Cass was tucking her jug of moonshine under the bed. The redhead wrestled her jacket off and dropped it to the floor, then fell back against her pillow and sighed wearily.

Veronica watched her companion for a moment, then quietly picked up Cass' jacket and hung it up beside her hat. She smiled when Cass swore at her pillow and squirmed to find a more comfortable position, stifling laughter at some of the choice words Cass muttered. Veronica dimmed the lights and headed for the door, ready to give Cass some time to sleep and recover from her ordeal.

"M'sorry, y'know," the redhead mumbled, slurring slightly. "For scarin' you."

The scribe paused with her hand on the doorknob, and she turned and gazed at Cass for a few moments. Veronica padded over to the cowgirl's bedside, grabbing one of the spare blankets at the foot of the bed. She draped it over Cass gently, then leaned over and brushed a light kiss across the redhead's temple. "Sleep well, Rosie."

Cass grinned and burrowed into her pillow, and Veronica slipped out of the room with a smile on her face.


End file.
